How Does Shakespeare Present the Relationship Between Macbeth and the Witches?

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ultimately leads him to kill King Duncan. This was extremely shocking at the time since he not only killed the king, which was blessed by God and held the same level of importance, but he also killed someone of his own blood who was a guest in his home. Even though Macbeth knows that murdering Duncan is morally wrong, he succumbs to the temptations of the witches and Lady Macbeth because of his desire to become king, since he believes that it will bring peace into his life.

After deciding to kill King Duncan, Macbeth becomes more evil than the witches themselves, which is evident from the quotation: “Something wicked this way comes.” Shakespeare uses irony to show that Macbeth was not aware of his own wickedness or the dark side of his nature until he met the witches and heard their prophecies, which reveals his “black and deep desires” and his overwhelming ambition. The short sentence is ironic as the witches are naturally wicked and encourages the wickedness in Macbeth, yet they are the ones calling Macbeth “wicked”, which shows that Macbeth has already chosen to side with evil.

Macbeth goes to the witches for a second time because he wants reassurance of a long reign and he wants to know if he has given up his soul and eternal life for nothing. When the witches tell him the two prophecies: “none of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him.” Iambic pentameter is used to create a chant-like rhythm that adds tension to the scene, and the half-truths that the witches tell Macbeth are the final catalyst to Macbeth’s tragedy - Macbeth interprets the prophecies as he chooses and believes that he is invincible, becoming overconfident. Because of this, Macbeth then makes irrational decisions such as choosing to murder Macduff’s family because he wants to believe what the witches say.

Ultimately, Macbeth realises that he has damned his soul and given up his innocence for nothing. In one of his final soliloquies, he states: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player...then is heard no more.” Macbeth uses a simile to compare life to a bad actor, which shows that he has realised that his life is pointless and that he has failed at being a good king, which is what he initially wants. He has failed at achieving his ultimate goal, which is that his legacy as king will live on and his children will become king. After becoming king through the immoral action of murdering King Duncan, Macbeth becomes tormented and agitated since he doesn’t know whether or not he can trust the witches and he is constantly paranoid about being betrayed and about others plotting against him. After killing King Duncan, Macbeth is never at peace again, which leads to his escalation of violence. Shakespeare shows that one should achieve their ambitions through moral means, or will never be at rest again.

In conclusion, the witches act as the predominant force that leads to the downfall of the respectable nobleman, Macbeth, which reflects the theme of tragedy as he turns from honourable to dishonourable because of his hamartia, his “vaulting ambition”.

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